Question:
Assalamualaikum wbt, why should a person wait until the Friday adhan is completed before he can perform any sunnah prayer, for example, the Friday prayer? Why can’t he just perform the sunnah prayer while the adhan is being called?
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wbt,
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
An Islamic legal maxim states:
إِعْمَالُ الدَّلِيلَينِ أَولَى مِن إِهْمَالِ أَحَدِهِمَا
“Practising both dalils is prioritized compared to abrogating one of them.”
Thus, when two matters converged, then it is prioritized to harmonize both of the matters.
In the above question, we should first understand the related rulings of the issue.
First, waiting while standing for a person who has just entered the mosque is so that he would be able to get the rewards of answering the adhan. Thus, it is sunnah for a person to keep quiet and answer the adhan that is being called by the muezzin. Refer Fiqh al-Manhaji (1/117)
This is according to a hadith of the Prophet PBUH, where he said:
إِذَا سَمِعْتُمُ النِّدَاءَ فَقُولُوا مِثْلَ ما يَقُولُ الْمُؤَذِّنُ
"Whenever you hear the Adhan, say what the Mu'adh-dhin is saying.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (586) and Sahih Muslim (383)
While the answer after (حَىَّ عَلَى الصَّلاَةِ) and (حَىَّ عَلَى الْفَلاَحِ) are:
لاَحَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ
“There is no might nor power except with Allah.”
This is in accordance with a hadith:
وَإِذَا قَالَ حَىَّ عَلَى الصَّلاَةِ. قَالَ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ. ثُمَّ قَالَ حَىَّ عَلَى الْفَلاَحِ. قَالَ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ. وَجَاءَ فِي آخِرِ الحَدِيْثِ أَنَّ: مَنْ قَالَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ
“When the Mu'adhdhin called: 'Hayya 'alas-salah (come to prayer), answer with: 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa Billah (There is no power and no strength except with Allah);' and when he said: 'Hayya 'alal-falah (come to prosperity),' answer him with: 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa Billah (There is no power and no strength except with Allah).' At the end of the hadith it I stated that whoever answered as such with sincerity, then he will enter paradise.”
Sahih Muslim (385)
Second, the ruling for sunnah prayer. In the context of sunnah prayer on Friday, there are two types of sunnah prayers. The first is sunnah tahiyyatul masjid and second is sunnah mutlak prayer. For those who came to the mosque early, it is sunnah for them to perform the sunnah tahiyyatul masjid and perform as many sunnah mutlak prayer. Furthermore, the makruh (undesirable) ruling to perform sunnah prayer when the sun is on top of one’s head (noon) is abrogated for the great advantages of Friday.
The sunnah tahiyyatul masjid prayer is a two rakaat sunnah prayer for a person who enters a mosque before he sits down. This is in accordance with the hadith:
فإِذَا دَخَلَ أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَسْجِدَ فَلاَ يَجْلِسْ حَتَّى يُصَلِّىَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ
"If anyone of you enters a Mosque, he should not sit until he has offered a two rakaat prayer."
Sahih al-Bukhari (433) and Sahih Muslim (714)
Tahiyyatul masjid prayer will be automatically fulfilled when a person performs any other obligatory or sunnah prayer. Refer Fiqh al-Manhaji (1/215)
The ruling of this prayer is not abrogated if a person has entered the mosque and stands for a long time. This fact is stated in Sabilul Muhtadin (2/15) written by Syeikh Arsyad al-Banjari (w.1227H). He said:
“The sunnah ruling is not abrogated even if a person stands for a long time.”
The same ruling is applicable on Fridays, if a person enters the mosque when the imam is already standing on the mimbar or is giving the Friday sermon, it is still sunnah for him to perform the sunnah tahiyyatul masjid prayer but he should simplify it. Imam al-Syarwani (w. 1303 H) in his book Hawasyi commented on Tuhfah al-Muhtaj (2/455) written by Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haitami (w.973):
“And the beginning of makruh tahrim agreed by the majority of scholars for a person attending the Friday prayer to perform sunnah prayer after the khatib has come up to the mimbar and sit on it, even if he could not hear the sermon (because he is far away or others). The only exception is for sunnah tahiyyatul masjid prayer for a person who just entered the mosque even when the khatib is already on the mimbar. Thus, it is sunnah for him to perform the sunnah tahiyyatul masjid prayer but he should simplify it. This is if he has already performed the sunnah qabliah Friday prayer. If not, then it is enough for him to perform two rakaat prayer and this is sufficient for him to get the rewards of sunnah tahiyyatul masjid prayer without him adding another two rakaat.”
This is in accordance with a hadith from Jabir RA, where he said, the Prophet PBUH said:
إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدُكُمْ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَالإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ فَلْيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَلْيَتَجَوَّزْ فِيهِمَا
“When any one of you comes on Friday, while the Imam delivers the sermon, he should observe two rak'ahs and should make them short.”
Sahih Muslim (875)
This is if the sermon of the khatib is not over yet. If it has ended, then he has to wait to perform the obligatory prayer. When he sits, the sunnah two rakaat prayer is abrogated and it is invalid even if he did perform it. Furthermore, it is wajib for him to continue on sitting and listen to the Friday sermon until it is time to perform the Friday prayer. Refer Fiqh al-Manhaji (2/210)
However, in our opinion, if a person enters a mosque when the second adhan is being called out, the situation is different from when the khatib is delivering the sermon. We are inclined to state that it is prioritized for him to straight away perform the sunnah tahiyyatul masjid prayer and leave the benefits of answering the second adhan. This is so that we could attain the rewards of listening to the sermon properly which is prioritized compared to answering the adhan.
Wallahua’lam.